In a changeover system of the present invention, the upper plate member, front plate member, and rear plate member are formed to have partially non-uniform thickness. As a result, the strength of the entire article transverse pushing body can be increased without increasing the weight of equipment and, for example, when a heavy article is conveyed, it can be pushed transversely and transferred sidewise without deforming the article transverse pushing body.

Claim:

What is claimed is:

1. A changeover system, comprising: a pair of left and right endless rotary bodies installed along a main conveying path; a multiplicity of article support bodies eachattached between the endless rotary bodies and having a direction perpendicular to the main conveying path as a lengthwise direction thereof; and an article transverse pushing body fitted over and guided by the article support body, wherein the articlesupport body has a flat article-carry plate section, and the article transverse pushing body comprises an upper plate member facing the article-carry plate section from above, a front plate member extending downward from the front end of the upper platemember, and a rear plate member extending downward from the rear end of the upper member, each of the front plate member and the rear plate member being formed to gradually increase in thickness as extending downward, with respect to the upper platemember.

2. The changeover system according to claim 1, wherein each of the front plate member and the rear plate member is formed to gradually increase in thickness toward the inner side as extending downward, with respect to the upper plate member.

3. The changeover system according to claim 1, wherein the article support body comprises a front plate section extending downward from the front end of the article-carry plate section, and a rear plate section extending downward from the rearend of the article-carry plate section; the front plate member of the article transverse pushing body faces the front plate section from outside; and the rear plate member of the article transverse pushing body faces the rear plate section fromoutside, the front plate section and rear plate section of the article support body each being formed with inward inclination so as to gradually approach each other toward the inner side as extending downward from the article-carry plate section, thefront plate member and rear plate member each being formed to gradually increase in thickness toward the inner side, as extending downward with respect to the upper plate member.

4. The changeover system according to claim 3, wherein the article transverse pushing body comprises a bottom plate member disposed between the lower ends of the front plate member and rear plate member, and a transverse pushing action sectionprovided over the upper plate member.

5. The changeover system according to claim 3, wherein the article support body comprises a front circular-arc section facing backward from the lower end of the front plate section and a rear circular-arc section facing forward from the lowerend of the rear plate section, and the article transverse pushing body comprises a bottom plate member disposed between the lower ends of the front plate member and rear plate member, the bottom plate member facing the two circular-arc sections frombelow.

6. The changeover system according to claim 1, wherein the front plate member and the rear plate member are each formed to gradually increase in thickness as extending downward with respect to the upper plate member, and there is a bottom platemember positioned between the lower ends of the front plate member and the rear plate member, the bottom plate member being formed to be thick and continuous with the lower ends of the front plate member and the rear plate member.

7. The changeover system according to claim 6, wherein the bottom plate member is formed to gradually increase in thickness as extending from the portions continuous with the lower ends of the front plate member and rear plate member toward thecentral portion.

8. The changeover system according to claim 1, wherein the article support body comprises a pair of leg plate sections installed consecutively from a middle section of the lower surface of the article-carry plate section in the direction of themain conveying path, and a guide section formed between the leg plate sections, and the article transverse pushing body comprises a guided section to be engaged with the guide section formed on the upper surface side of the bottom plate member disposedbetween the lower ends of the front plate member and rear plate member.

9. A changeover system, comprising: a main frame; a pair of left and right endless rotary bodies supported and guided to the main frame and installed along a main conveying path; a multiplicity of article support bodies each attached betweenthe endless rotary bodies and having a direction perpendicular to the main conveying path as a lengthwise direction thereof; an article transverse pushing body fitted over and guided by the article support body, wherein the article support bodycomprises a flat article-carry plate section, a pair of leg plate sections installed consecutively from a middle section of the lower surface of the article-carry plate section in the direction of the main conveying path, each of said leg plate sectionshaving an upward facing surface formed at the lower end thereof, a front plate section extending downward from the front end of the article-carry plate section, and a rear plate section extending downward from the rear end of the article-carry platesection; a plurality of the guide sections opening at mutually opposing sides are formed as grooves by the article-carry plate section and the pair of leg plate sections; the guide sections each comprised of front and rear guide surfaces formed by themutually opposing surfaces, lower guide surfaces formed by the upward facing surfaces on the lower ends of said leg plate sections, and an upper guide surface formed by the downward facing surface of the article-carry plate section; the articletransverse pushing body comprises a guided section joined to the guide section and configured so as to enable guiding thereof by the guide surface; a vertical support shaft extending into a central section of the guided section and being supportedtherein, the central portion and an upper end of said support shaft being disposed between said guide sections; a guide body attached to a lower protruding section of the support shaft; and a guide apparatus guiding the guided body is provided on themain frame.

10. The changeover system according to claim 9, wherein the article transverse pushing body comprises: an upper plate member facing the article-carry plate section from above; a front plate member extending downward from the front end of theupper plate member and facing the front plate section from the outside; a rear plate member extending downward from the rear end of the upper plate member and facing the rear plate section from the outside; a bottom plate member positioned between thelower ends of the front plate member and rear plate member; a transverse pushing action section provided above the upper plate member; and the guided section is engaged with the guide section extending upward from a bottom plate member on the upperside of the bottom plate member.

11. the changeover system according to claim 9, wherein an upward facing elastic body that can abut from below against the article carry plate section in the article support body and a forward facing elastic body that can abut from insideagainst the leg plate section of the front section are provided at the guided section side of the article transverse pushing body.

12. A changeover system, comprising: a pair of left and right endless rotary bodies installed along a main conveying path; multiplicity of article support bodies each attached between the endless rotary bodies and having a directionperpendicular to the main conveying path as a lengthwise direction thereof; an article transverse pushing body fitted over and guided by the article support body, wherein the article support body comprises a flat article-carry plate section, a pair ofleg plate sections installed consecutively from a middle section of the lower surface of the article-carry plate section in the direction of the main conveying path said flat article-carry plate section and said leg plate section forming a guide sectiontherebetween, a front plate section extending downward from the front end of the article-carry plate section, front circular-arc section facing backward from the lower end of the front plate section, a rear plate section extending downward from the rearend of the article-carry plate section, and a rear circular-arc section facing forward from the lower end of the rear plate section; the article transverse pushing body comprises a bottom plate member facing from below both circular-arc sections, aguided section formed on the upper surface side of the bottom plate member said guided section dimensioned to engage with the guide section, and a transverse pushing action section provided at the top; and both circular-arc sections are positioned andformed below the lower end of the leg plate sections.

13. The changeover system according to claim 12, wherein the article transverse pushing body comprises: an upper plate member facing from above the article-carry plate section, a front plate member extending downward from the front end of theupper plate member and facing the front plate section from the outside, a rear plate member extending downward from the rear end of the upper plate member and facing the rear plate section from the outside, a bottom plate member positioned between thelower ends of the front plate member and rear plate member and facing the two circular-arc sections from below, and the transverse pushing action section provided above the upper plate member.

14. The changeover system according to claim 12, wherein a downward facing convex section along the lengthwise direction is formed at the lower surface of the article-carry plate section, the guided section has an upper surface formed as aguided surface facing the convex section from below, the convex section having a lower portion formed as a flat surface.

15. A changeover system, comprising: a pair of left and right endless rotary bodies installed along a main conveying path; a multiplicity of article support bodies each attached between the endless rotary bodies and having a directionperpendicular to the main conveying path as a lengthwise direction thereof; an article transverse pushing body fitted over and guided by the article support body, wherein the article support body comprises a flat article-carry plate section, a frontplate section extending downward from the front end of the article-carry plate section, a rear plate section extending downward from the rear end of the article-carry plate section, and a pair of leg plate sections installed consecutively from a middlesection of the lower surface of the article-carry plate section in the direction of the main conveying path and a guide section formed between the leg plate sections; the article-carry plate section has an upper surface formed with an upward facingconvex section extending in the lengthwise direction, the convex section having an upper portion formed as a flat surface; the article transverse pushing body comprises a concave groove section facing the upward facing convex section formed on the uppersurface of the article-carry plate section from above and a guided section engaged with the guide section; a downward facing convex section along the lengthwise direction is formed at the lower surface of the article-carry plate section, the convexsection having a lower portion formed as a flat surface; and the guided section has an upward surface formed as a guided surface facing the downward facing convex section.

16. A changeover system, comprising: a pair of left and right endless rotary bodies installed along a main conveying path; and a multiplicity of article support bodies each attached between the endless rotary bodies and having a directionperpendicular to the main conveying path as a lengthwise direction thereof, wherein side brackets are attached to both ends of the article support body in the lengthwise direction, tubular linking sections each having a lengthwise insertion hole formedtherein are provided in the side brackets, an inner end side formation portions of the insertion holes in the tubular linking sections are formed as tongue sections divided into a plurality of sections in the circumferential direction while inward convexsections are formed in the tongue sections, protruding sections that protrude from the side of the endless rotary bodies are configured to be freely insertable from the outside into the insertion holes of the tubular linking sections, and outward facingconcave sections that can be elastically engaged with the inward facing convex sections are formed in the protruding sections.

17. The changeover system according to claim 16, wherein the article support body includes an article transverse pushing body fitted thereover and guided in the longitudinal direction.

18. The changeover system according to claim 16, wherein the tubular linking section is configured to be freely fitted in a tubular body provided on the side bracket side, the tubular body has an annular groove formed on the inner peripheralsurface side thereof, and each of the tongue sections of the tubular linking section has an outward facing convex section that can be elastically engaged in the annular groove.

19. The changeover system according to claim 18, wherein the tubular linking section is made from a resin, and has a collar formed at the outer end of the tubular linking section, the collar being abut against the outer end surface of thetubular body.

20. The changeover system according to claim 16, wherein the side brackets, the tubular linking sections, and the group of tongue sections are formed integrally from a resin.

21. The changeover system according to claim 16, wherein the endless rotary body comprises an endless chain, and the protrusion section is constituted by a long linking pin formed by causing a prescribed one of a group of linking pins toprotrude inwardly, the group of linking pins performing inter-link connection.

22. A changeover system, comprising: a pair of left and right endless rotary bodies installed along a main conveying path; and a multiplicity of article support bodies each attached between the endless rotary bodies and having a directionperpendicular to the main conveying path as a lengthwise direction thereof, wherein the article support bodies each has a side bracket attached at both ends thereof in the lengthwise direction, the side bracket has a tubular linking section in one of thefront and rear sections on the outer surface side thereof, the tubular linking section protruding outwardly and having a lengthwise insertion hole formed therein, the insertion hole of the tubular linking section being configured so that a protrudingsection protruding from the side of the endless rotary bodies is insertable there into from outside, and the side bracket has a concave engaging section in the other of the front and rear sections thereof, the concave engaging section formed to open onboth inner and outer sides and also outwardly, the engaging section being configured so as to be fittable over the tubular linking section in the adjacent side bracket, and engaging surfaces of the engaging section and the tubular linking section aremade from different materials.

23. The changeover system according to claim 22, wherein the materials of the engaging section and the tubular linking section are iron and a resin respectively.